Thill-coupling



(No ModeL) BARKER.

THILL' COUPLING.

: Patent-Bums 16, 1885.

JOSEPH H. BARKER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,946, dated June 16, 1885.

Application filed August 29, 1883. Renewed January 29, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Josnrir H. BARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oineinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio,have invented new and useful Improvements. in Thill-Gouplings, of which the following is a specification. Y

My invention relates to thill-couplings for road-vehicles, and is designed to provide an inexpensive and efficient device which can be applied to existing structures for preventing the disagreeable rattling due to lost motion in the shaft-connections.

To this end it consists, substantially, in the provision of an adjustable wedge or wedges with adjusting and holding devices, adapted to be inserted behind the pivot-coupling between the jaws of the clip for the purpose of forcing and holding the shaft'loop against its pivot-bolt,as hereinafter more fully described.

Mechanism embodying my invention is illus trated in the accompanying drawings,in which the parts hereinafter described are designated by corresponding letters of reference.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side view of a preferred form of my improved coupling; Fig. 2, a crosssection of the same.

Referring to the drawings in aid of the following description, A is the clip surrounding the axle; B, one of the two projecting jaws, between which the shaft-bolt b is inserted for holding the thill G. g

In the preferred form of my device, exhibited in Figs. 1 and 2, I use a wedge-shaped block, D, of metal or any suitable material, terminating in or having attached thereto a projecting screw, (1. This is inserted behind the thill-coupling between the coupling-jaws,

and the screw d passed through a rectangular metal washer,a, adapted to rest upon the jaws B, behind the thill-coupling, and through a spring-washer, c, and is finally provided with a nut, e, by which it is held in place and adapted to take up any lost motion due to wear. A convenient form of the spring-washer is that shown, consisting of a perforated cylinder, c, of rubber, or a spiral spring, surrounding the screws d,protected exteriorly by an open casing, f, of metal, and above by an ordinary metal washer fitting loosely within the casing.

The mode of operation is obvious. e, acting against the washer a as an abutment, draws up the wedge D between the thill-coupling and the clip, and forces thelatter outward againstits pivot-bolt. The interposed spring-washer 0 acts to take up minute losses of wear, and also enables the wedge D to yield to inequalities in the contour of the thill-loop in the pivotal play of the shafts.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The take-up device for thill-couplings, consisting of the wedge-block D, terminating above in a screw, (1, the abutment-plate a,the spring-washer c, and nut 6, all combined and arranged as shown, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH H. BARKER.

Witnesses:

L. M. HOSEA, S. OSBORNE.

The nut 

